Fact-check: “The US national debt has doubled in the last 10 years”
Verdict: True (95% confidence)
The total US national debt has more than doubled over the past decade. Treasury data shows it was roughly $18.4 trillion around mid-2016 and crossed $38 trillion in October 2025, a gain of about 106%. If you anchor the 10-year window a bit earlier — say 2014, when debt was around $17.8 trillion — the doubling is even more pronounced given today's level near $39 trillion.
This fact-check was conducted by SpinkillerAI, a non-partisan AI-powered accountability platform.
Related fact-checks
- Donald Trump Jr accepted a gift from a Russian oligearch — True
- European Union plans 200 million Euro investment in Greenland as a response to Trump's posturing — Mostly True
- Approximately 45% of the current Canadian population is made up of immigrants and the children of immigrants — Mostly True
- Recent job numbers increased faster than had been expected and are ahead of most analysts expectations — Partly True
- Medicare for all would cost trillions a year that Americans would pay through higher income taxes — Partly True